Graphic: The World of Art Pope

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U.S. REP. VIRGINIA FOXX: An archconservative representing North Carolina’s Fifth District, she served in the state Senate for 10 years. She sits on the Center for Education Policy board. Pope contributed $2,800 to her election campaign in 2008–09.
No additional informationJOSEPH COLETTI: is a fiscal and health policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation and has written for the Heartland Institute.
ROY CORDATO: He is the vice president for research at the John Locke Foundation and a policy advisor at the Heartland Institute.
PAUL CHESSER: is a contributing editor for Carolina Journal. He also is a special correspondent for the Heartland Institute and the director of Climate Strategies Watch, both of which are active in debunking global warming.
DON CARRINGTON: A vice president at the Locke Foundation, he is the executive editor and associate publisher of the Carolina Journal. He is on the five-member Journalism Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.
KORY SWANSON: He is the executive vice president of the John Locke Foundation and sits on the board of directors of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.
ANDY TAYLOR: The chairman of N.C. State’s political science department, he sits on the eight-member advisory board for the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service. He also writes columns for the Carolina Journal, a publication of the John Locke Foundation.
ORAGE QUARLES: The News & Observer publisher is on the eight-member Foundation for Ethics in Public Service advisory board.
STEVE DANIELS: The ABC11 anchor and investigative reporter is among five people who sit on the Journalism Advisory Committee of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.
LES MERRITT: The former state auditor is the executive director of the Foundation for Ethics in Public Service.
ROBERT LUDDY: Active in the charter school movement, he has founded several charter schools. He also contributed to several Republican candidates for Wake County school board. Luddy is on the Foundation for Ethics advisory board.
JOHN WILLIAM POPE CENTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY: Aims to spread conservative ideas in colleges and universities. It’s received nearly $2.8 million in grants from the Pope Foundation since 2004, about 90 percent of its income. www.popecenter.org
FOUNDATION FOR ETHICS IN PUBLIC SERVICE: Launched in 2009 and run by former state auditor Les Merritt. It has received $300,000 from the Pope Foundation www.reportpublicorruption.org
JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION: In 1990, the Popes helped launch this foundation, which has received more than $20 million from the Pope Foundation. Art Pope sits on its board.
No additional informationHEARTLAND INSTITUTE: a nonprofit with a mission that includes debunking global warming, privatizing public services, introducing school vouchers and deregulating health insurance.
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: Pope is one of the national directors of this group, which helped launch the tea party movement. AFP was started by oil billionaire David Koch and Richard Fink, who is on the board of directors of Koch Industries. It spent more than $287,000 on state legislative races last year.
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY-NC: One of more 30 state chapters of AFP, it is led by Dallas Woodhouse.
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY FOUNDATION: the Pope family’s foundation is one of the AFP Foundation’s biggest backers.
VARIETY WHOLESALERS: a chain of discount shops with more than 400 stores in the South, including Maxway and Roses. Art Pope now leads the family business.
JOHN POPE CIVITAS INSTITUTE: A conservative think tank funded largely by the Pope Foundation, which has given it more than $8 million since its founding in 2005—about 97 percent of its income. It is a tax-exempt nonprofit. Pope sits on the institute’s board of directors. www.nccivitas.org
CIVITAS ACTION: A sister group to the Civitas Institute, it spent nearly $200,000 to defeat Democrats last year. Nearly three-quarters of the institute’s money comes from Pope’s discount stores; the rest came from Pope-backed Americans for Prosperity. www.civitasaction.org
JOHN WILLIAM POPE FOUNDATION: Art Pope chairs and leads this foundation, which, since 1994, has spent at least $30 million to launch a network of conservative research, media and legal centers. It has assets of $148 million. www.jwpf.org
No additional informationREPUBLICAN STATE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE: Variety Wholesalers gave $36,500 to this committee, which is backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other corporate donors. The committee spent millions nationwide, including in North Carolina, to help Republicans take over state legislatures. The RSLC funneled $1.2 million to Real Jobs NC, which ran political attack campaigns.
No additional informationREAL JOBS NC: A new operation cofounded by Pope in 2010. It spent nearly $1.5 million on attack ads in about two dozen state races, according to state campaign finance records. Variety Wholesalers gave $200,000 to the group.
KOCH BROTHERS, INDUSTRIES AND FOUNDATIONS: Most recently, the Koch empire has financially supported Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union efforts. The empire earned most of its money through oil and has used its largesse to fund front groups fighting health care, environmental and economic reform.
N.C. INSTITUTE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: Art Pope is the treasurer and has served as chair and vice chair of the board of directors. It has received more than $3.2 million from the Pope Foundation since its founding in 1994. www.ncicl.org.
CAROLINA JOURNAL: is the John Locke Foundation’s flagship media program, which includes print, radio, online and TV programming.
No additional informationNo additional information22 LEGISLATIVE RACES: Pope and Pope family members personally donated to Republican candidates. Through Pope’s various funding channels, about $2.2 million in Pope-related money flowed into races, including House District 41 in Wake County, where Real Jobs NC’s attack ads helped unseat Democratic incumbent Chris Heagarty. Tom Murry, a Republican from Morrisville, won the seat.
ROBERT ORR: executive director and senior counsel for the NCICL. He served nearly 10 years on the N.C. Supreme Court and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2007.
DAVID RIGGS: The vice president for programs and operations at the John William Pope Foundation, he served as an environmental program officer at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation. He also sits on the board of directors of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.